The present invention generally relates to multi-media information transfer systems, and more particularly to a multi-media information transfer system which transfers multi-media information between a computer center and a multi-media mail apparatus.
In in-plant communication systems, facsimile machines are becoming used as computer terminals by sending information which is stored in the computer to the facsimile machine and entering information received by the facsimile machine into the computer.
On the other hand, the reduction of the cost of the facsimile machines has brought revolutionary effects to general homes. It has now become possible to make access to the computer center from an inexpensive facsimile machine for home use, so as to receive various kinds of services such as at-home banking and at-home reservation.
Accordingly, there are demands to realize an efficient information transfer between the computer center and the facsimile machine.
Conventionally, when making information transfer between the computer center and various terminal equipments such as the facsimile and a telephone set, a multi-media mail apparatus is interposed therebetween so that image information and voice information can be transferred efficiently.
FIG. 1 shows an example of a conventional multi-media information transfer system which uses the multi-media mail apparatus.
In FIG. 1, a multi-media mail apparatus 1 includes a computer communication controller 10, a facsimile/telephone (FAX/TEL) communication controller 11, a call controller 12, a data transfer controller 14, a medium judging part 16, a medium converter 17 and a subscriber data storage 18. The operation of each part of the multi-media mail apparatus 1 will be described later.
A computer center 2 shown in FIG. 1 is coupled to a scanner 3, a high-resolution display unit 4 and a printer 5. This computer center 2 exchanges data such as the transmitting/receiving condition and the message (image/text) between the computer communication controller 10 of the multi-media mail apparatus 1.
A public telephone network 8.exchanges data such as the message (image), push-button (PB) signal and mark sheet between the FAX/TEL communication controller 11 of the multi-media mail apparatus 1. A facsimile machine 6, a telephone set 7 and the like are coupled to the public telephone network 8.
FIGS. 2 and 3 are sequence diagrams showing the multi-media information transfer in the multi-media information transfer system shown in FIG. 1. A description will now be given of the conventional multi-media information transfer, by referring to FIGS. 1 through 3. In the following description, the numbers in round brackets "( )" respectively correspond to the numbers in the round brackets shown in FIGS. 2 or 3.
[A] When sending computer image information to the facsimile machine 6 (FIG. 2):
(1) An operator of the computer center 2 reads a document into the computer by use of the scanner 3. This operator instructs the computer to transmit this document to the facsimile machine 6 by manipulating a console (not shown).
(2) The computer center 2 transmits a "communication start request" to the multi-media mail apparatus 1. The "communication start request" includes information such as the kind of service (facsimile transmission) and the destination (b).
(3) The computer communication controller 10 of the multi-media mail apparatus 1 starts the call controller 12 when the "communication start request" is received. The call controller 12 refers to the subscriber data storage 18, and checks whether or not a service with respect to the computer is possible. If the service can be made, the call controller 12 transmits a "communication start accept" to the computer center 2 via the computer communication controller 10, and establishes a logical path.
(4) The computer center 2 transmits a "mode set request" to the multi-media mail apparatus 1 when the "communication start accept" is received. The "mode set request" notifies the multi-media mail apparatus 1 of the parameters such as the page number and the medium classification (binary image, text, mixed) of the data amounting to one page which is transmitted thereafter.
(5) The computer communication controller 10 of the multi-media mail apparatus 1 starts the call controller 12 when the "mode set request" is received. Because the logical path is established, the call controller 12 starts the data transfer controller 14.
The data transfer controller 14 checks the parameters of the "mode set request" such as the medium classification and the page number, and transmits a "mode set accept" to the computer center 2 via the call controller 12 and the computer communication controller 10 if the parameters are normal.
(6) The computer center 2 makes a "data transfer" amounting to one page with respect to the multi-media mail apparatus 1 when the "mode set accept" is received.
(7) The computer communication controller 10 of the multi-media mail apparatus 1 starts the data transfer controller 14 via the call controller 12 when the "data transfer" is received. The data transfer controller 14 starts the medium judging part 16, and the medium classification within the page (hereinafter simply referred to as an in-page medium classification) of the "data transfer" is judged.
In this example, the medium classification is the binary image, and no medium conversion is necessary. However, if the medium classification is the text, the medium converter 17 is started so as to convert the text into the image.
The data transfer controller 14 transmits a "reception acknowledge" to the computer center 2 via the call controller 12 and the computer communication controller 10 at every transition of the in-page medium classification and every time the in-page end data is normally received. Thereafter, steps (8) through (11) which are respectively the same as the steps (4) through (7) described above are carried out.
(12) When the "data transfer" amounting to all pages ends, the computer center 2 transmits a "communication end request" to the multi-media mail apparatus 1.
(13) The computer communication controller 10 of the multi-media mail apparatus 1 starts the call controller 12 when the "communication end request" is received. The call controller 12 transmits a "communication end acknowledge" to the computer center 2 via the computer communication controller 10, and releases the logical path. The computer center 2 also releases the logical path when the "communication end acknowledge" is received.
(14) The call controller of the multi-media mail apparatus 1 starts the FAX/TEL communication controller 11. The FAX/TEL communication controller 11 sends the image message received from the computer center 2 to the facsimile machine 6 via the public telephone network 8.
The process of sending the computer image information to the facsimile machine 6 is completed by the above described operation.
[B] When entering facsimile image information into the computer (FIG. 3):
(1) A user of the facsimile machine 6 transmits a message to the multi-media mail apparatus 1 in accordance with a man machine interface (MMI) of the multi-media mail apparatus 1. The information which is transmitted includes "kind of service=computer transmission", "destination=a", "subscriber ID=b" and the like. The FAX/TEL communication controller 11 of the multi-media mail apparatus 1 starts the subscriber data storage 18 before receiving the message and checks whether or not the service with respect to the facsimile subscriber can be accepted. If it is possible to accept the service, the message is received by the multi-media mail apparatus 1.
(2) The FAX/TEL communication controller 11 of the multi-media mail apparatus 1 stores the received message into a file which is not shown, and starts the call controller 12. The call controller 12 transmits a "communication start instruction" to the computer center 2 via the computer communication controller 10.
(3) The computer center 2 transmits a "communication start accept" to the multi-media mail apparatus 1 if the communication can be started when the "communication start instruction" is received, and establishes a logical path.
(4) The computer communication controller 10 of the multi-media mail apparatus 1 starts the call controller 12 when the "communication start accept" is received, and the call controller 12 starts the data transfer controller 14. The data transfer controller 14 transmits a "mode set instruction" to the computer center 2 via the call controller 12 and the computer communication controller 10.
(5) The computer center 2 checks the medium classification, the page number and the like when the "mode set instruction" is received, and returns a "mode set accept" to the multi-media mail apparatus 1 if the checked information is normal.
(6) The computer communication controller 10 of the multi-media mail apparatus 1 starts the data transfer controller 14 via the call controller 12 when the "mode set accept" is received. The data transfer controller 14 reads from the file the message which is received from the facsimile machine 6, and makes a "data transfer" amounting to one page to the computer center 2 via the call controller 12 and the computer communication controller 10.
(7) The computer center 2 returns a "reception acknowledge" to the multi-media mail apparatus 1 when the data amounting to one page is normally received. Thereafter, steps (8) through (11) which are respectively the same as the steps (4) through (7) described above are carried out.
(12) The data transfer controller 14 of the multi-media mail apparatus 1 transmits a "communication end instruction" to the computer center 2 via the call controller 12 and the computer communication controller 10 when the "reception acknowledge" corresponding to the "data transfer" related to the last page is received from the computer center 2.
(13) The computer center 2 returns a "communication end acknowledge" to the multi-media mail apparatus 1 when the "communication end instruction" is received, and releases the logical path. The operator of the computer center 2 outputs the received data to the printer 5 if necessary. The call controller 12 of the multi-media mail apparatus 1 releases the logical path when the "communication end acknowledge" is received via the computer communication controller 10.
The process of entering the facsimile image information into the computer is completed by the above described operation.
[C] When entering mark sheet or PB signal information into the computer (not shown):
First, when the data is input from the facsimile machine 6 in the mark sheet format, the FAX/TEL communication controller 11 of the multi-media mail apparatus 1 supplies the data to the medium converter 17. The medium converter 17 converts the data into the fixed text format. Numerical data for each item such as the application number are marked on the mark sheet.
Second, when the data is input from the telephone set 7 in the PB signal format, the FAX/TEL communication controller 11 of the multi-media mail apparatus 1 supplies the data to the medium converter 17. The medium converter 17 converts the data into the fixed text format. The conversation process between the telephone set 7 and the multi-media mail apparatus 1 takes a form such that a response is made from the telephone set 7 by the PB signal in response to a voice guidance from the FAX/TEL communication controller 11.
Third, the FAX/TEL communication controller 11 stores the data having the mark sheet or PG signal format into the file when the reception of the data is completed. The FAX/TEL communication controller 11 starts the call controller 12 so as to shift to the phase of establishing the logical path to the computer center 2.
The process carried out thereafter is the same as the above described case [B] where the facsimile image information is entered into the computer, and a description thereof will be omitted.
Therefore, when transmitting a message from the facsimile machine to the computer center in the conventional multi-media information transfer system, the multi-media mail apparatus calls the computer center in real time when the facsimile machine transmits the message to the multi-media mail apparatus and then transmits the message.
In addition, the message transmission is made on a page basis. The medium classification, the page number and the like are notified to the receiving side immediately before transmitting the data of each page.
As a result, the conventional multi-media information transfer system which transfers multi-media information between the computer center and the multi-media mail apparatus suffered from the following problems.
First, the transmitting side must basically transmit the medium classification, the page number and the like to the receiving side immediately before transmitting the data of each page. For this reason, the transfer efficiency is poor if the messages having the same transmitting condition are transmitted by a single medium because the process becomes redundant.
Second, the receiving side is not informed of the message format before receiving the message, and the data transfer is onesidedly transmitted from the transmitting side. For example, it is impossible to cope with demands such as (i) determining whether or not to enter the message after confirming the contents of the first couple of pages, and (ii) transferring the binary image part in one transfer and transferring the text part in pages when transmitting a message in which the binary image and the text coexist.
Third, if the message having the computer center as its destination is transmitted from the facsimile machine to the multi-media mail apparatus, the multi-media mail apparatus calls the computer center immediately and transmits the message. Hence, the scheduling of the transmitting and receiving processes of the computer center cannot be made.